Friday, May 07, 2010

I'm tempted to post something else on this George Rekers thing, but I have my daily posting schedule to think of and those who keep up with this blog know that Friday evenings are reserved for Know Your LGBT History.

And for this afternoon, I thought I would focus attention on the 1982 movie, Querelle.

This movie is an incomprehensible messed based on French author Jean Genet's 1947 novel Querelle de Brest. It starred the late actor Brad Davis as Querelle, a bisexual sailor who is also a thief and murderer, and his adventures in a whorehouse. The whorehouse is owned by a woman, Lysiane, whose husband, Nono likes to play dice with strangers. If the stranger wins, he can have sex with Lysiane. If he loses, Nono gets to have sex with the stranger.

Needless to say Querelle loses on purpose and in a disturbing scene, is sodomized by Nono.

If you asked me anything else about this movie, I couldn't tell you because it's a mess, but with one saving grace.

The actress who played Lysiane is internationally famous Jeanne Moreau and she is stunning. I had only seen her in one film before this one. After this one, she became one of my favorite actresses:

Forget the claim about "slow burning," because the George Rekers escort scandal is officially an uncontrollable brush fire.

The good news is that it shines a light on the many hypocrisies of the anti-gay industry. The bad news is that it has veered in so many directions,i t's hard for the media to establish a single narrative. So-called legitimate publications seem to be a step behind the blogs when getting the story.

Meanwhile, the Miami New Times, the publication that initially broke the story, has revealed that its reporters were listening in during a recent call between Rekers and "Lucien," the escort he took on a 10 day European trip:

During that talk -- which took place at about 1 a.m. Thursday in a Fort Lauderdale home -- Rekers tells Lucien several times not to talk to the press. He also never challenges Lucien's statements that he found the 20-year-old escort on an internet site, nor that they "did the whole massage thing," referring to Lucien's contention that he gave Rekers nude massages during their two-week trip to Europe.

. . .Lucien began the conversation in a state of mild panic, understandably worried by the explosion of publicity that followed New Times' original expose. (Lucien, who asked that his real name not be used, has never told his family he is gay, and prior to the story's publication had declined to mention his line of work to many friends.)

Lucien was offended, too, by what he had learned from friends and press reports of Rekers' three decades of anti-gay activism, a record the Baptist minister tried to downplay.

"I just stay in the background," said Rekers, a co-founder with James Dobson of the Family Research Council, a vehemently anti-gay lobbying group. Of gay people, he said: "I've never picked a fight with them."

Rekers then said he has a "friend in the media" who's advised him to avoid all contact with the press. Rekers told Lucien to do the same.

"Tell them you don't want to do interviews," said Rekers. "Are they calling you on the phone, or calling you at your house?"

"Both!" cried Lucien.

Throughout, Rekers was very solicitous, and Lucien was plainly upset. Lucien explained he'd felt extremely uncomfortable in his dealings with the press.

"We did the whole massage thing," Lucien said, "and I don't know what to think about it."

"Yeah," said Rekers, "just say 'no,' and just say 'I've already [indecipherable] to the press,' and that's it. 'Cuz if you keep answering, it'll keep the story alive."

"This isn't something I can just be silenced about!" Lucien said moments later.

Rekers assured him that if he just remains silent, the whole story would soon die down. He began muttering darkly about "activists with an axe to grind" and "nothing better to do."

Lucien suggested that perhaps "the media" has a point and that Rekers really has done harm to the gay community. He insisted that Rekers' struggle isn't his own, and said he had considered making a statement to the press.

"Well, don't do that," said Rekers. "It just causes more harm."

"What was going through your mind when you went on that website?" demanded Lucien, referring to rentboy.com, the gay escort site where he had posted his profile.

Rekers paused for several seconds, considering. "Well, I'd be happy to sit down and talk to you more about that." He paused again. "We have to deal with the situation that we have, and make sure it doesn't get worse."

About Me

Alvin McEwen is 46-year-old African-American gay man who resides in Columbia, SC.
McEwen's blog, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, and writings have been mentioned by Americablog.com, Goodasyou.org, People for the American Way, PageOneQ.com, The Washington Post, Raw Story, The Advocate, Media Matters for America, Crooksandliars.com, Thinkprogress.org, Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish, Melissa Harris-Perry, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, The Washington Blade, and Foxnews.com.
In addition, he is also a past contributor to Pam's House Blend,Justice For All, LGBTQ Nation, and Alternet.org. He is a present contributor to the Daily Kos and the Huffington Post,
He is the 2007 recipient of the Harriet Daniels Hancock Volunteer of the Year Award and the 2010 recipient of the Order of the Pink Palmetto from the SC Pride Movement as well as the 2009 recipient of the Audre Lorde/James Baldwin Civil Rights Activist Award from SC Black Pride. In addition, he is a three-time nominee of the Ed Madden Media Advocacy Award from SC Pride.